$16 million still owing in unpaid bills 1 year since B.C. nixed bridge tolls

Motorists still owe $16 million in unpaid bridge tolls on the Port Mann and Golden Ears bridges.

September marks one year since the B.C. NDP government fulfilled a key election promise and made commuting over the two bridges free.

TransLink said that $1.68 million is still owed on the Golden Ears Bridge tab – down from $18 million owing in April. This time last year roughly $30 million was owing.

TI Corp, the Crown corporation that manages the Port Mann Bridge, has received about two-thirds of payments from the $45 million tab last September, and has yet to collect about $15 million. That means they’ve hardly collected any funds since April.

“TI Corp is noting a decline in the number of calls and has started making outbound calls to customers who still owe tolls,” a spokesperson with the Ministry of Transportation said in an emailed statement to Black Press Media.

“The ministry recognizes that some of the toll debt will be uncollectible, if, for example, customers have moved outside of the province, have filed for bankruptcy or for other reasons.”

As for the portion of commuters avoiding their unpaid bills, they can expect to reap the consequences through late fees and ICBC’s ‘Refuse to Issue’ process which allows the government to put a hold on driver’s licenses and car insurance.